As a school we measure children’s progress in learning against National Expectations and age related expectations.

The Class teacher continually assesses each child and notes areas
where they are improving and where further support is needed. As a
school, we track children’s progress from entry at Nursery or Reception
through to Year 6, using a variety of different methods including
National Curriculum levels and the Foundation Stage Profiles.
Children who are not making expected progress are picked up through our
termly Review meetings with class teacher, SENCO and or Headteacher. In
this meeting a discussion takes place concerning why individual children
are experiencing difficulty and what further support can be given to
aid their progression.

Talk to us – your first point of contact is always your child’s class
teacher. If you require more information contact our SENCO or
Headteacher. We believe good communication links with parents are vital
and aim to be open and honest with parents at all times.

Our SENCO will closely monitor all provision and progress of any child
requiring additional support across the school. The class teacher will
oversee, plan and work with each child with SEND in their class to
ensure that progress in every area is made. There may be a Teaching
Assistant (TA) working with your child either individually or as part of
a group, if this is seen as necessary by the class teacher. The
regularity of these sessions will be explained to parents when the
support starts.

All work within class is pitched at an appropriate level so that all
children are able to access according to their specific needs. Typically
this might mean that in a lesson there would be three different levels
of work set for the class, however on occasions this can be individually
differentiated. The benefit of this type of differentiation is that all
children can access a lesson and learn at their own level.

In school we will often use SEN Support Plans or
IBP’s (Individual Behaviour Plan) to set targets and review progress. We
can use these targets to monitor pupils progress academically against
national/age expected levels and update or adjust the SEN Support Plan. This may
involve updating into smaller steps or using a different approach to
ensure progress is made.

Children may move off the SEN register when they have ‘caught up’ or made sufficient progress.

We believe that your child’s education should be a partnership
between parents and teachers, therefore we aim to keep communication
channels open and communicate regularly, especially if your child has
complex needs. We will do this through:

Discussions with class teacher

Parents evening - The class teacher will meet parents at least
twice a year to discuss your child’s needs, support and progress. The
SENCO will also be available to book a meeting with.

Open door policy – you are welcome any time to book an
appointment to meet with the class teacher, SENCO, Head or Deputy
Headteacher to discuss how your child is getting. We can offer advice
and practical ways that you can help your child at home.

Your child may have an SEN Support Plan / IBP in place and therefore the
targets set are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and
Time scaled) targets. These will be sent home to keep you informed of
your child’s progress and how you can support them.

If your child has complex SEND they may have an EHC Plan
(Education Health Care Plan) which means that a formal Annual Review
will take place to discuss your child’s progress and a report will be
written. This can also be done at a six monthly interim review if
changes to circumstances occur or concerns arise.

We value and celebrate each child being able to express their views
on all aspects of school life. This is usually carried out through the
School Council which has an open forum for any issues or viewpoints to
be raised.

Children who have SEN Support Plan discuss and
set their targets with their class teacher. There is an annual pupil
questionnaire where we actively seek the viewpoints of children
especially concerning being able to speak to an adult if they have a
worry. If your child has an EHC plan or an Annual Review of their EHC
plan their views will be obtained before any meetings

We are an inclusive school, we welcome and celebrate diversity.
All staff appreciate the importance of children having high self-esteem
in order to achieve positive well-being. Here at The Victory Primary
School we commit to our own ‘high 5 values’ (Respect, Determination,
Kindness, Teamwork, Excellence) and ensure pupils are able to develop in
a caring, fair and understanding environment.

The class teacher has overall responsibility for the
pastoral, medical and social care of every child in their class,
therefore this would be the parents’ first point of contact. If further
support is required the class teacher can liaise with the SENCO for
further advice and support. This may involve working alongside outside
agencies such as Health and Social Services, and / or the Behaviour
Support Team.

The school has a team of learning mentors who work under the
direction of the Behaviour Manager, supporting vulnerable children
during the school day.

The school has a policy regarding the administration and
managing of medicines on the school site. Parents need to contact the
schools medical manager to discuss this and if agreed complete a form:
‘Parental Agreement for School to Administer Medicines’. In some cases a
‘care plan’ may be put in place according to the directions of the
school nurse.

School will generally not take responsibility for other
medicines such as cough medicines, however we may be able to administer
prescribed medicines following discussions with parents.

We also work very closely with social care and MASH (Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub)

Should your child require any form of involvement with an outside
agency then the school would immediately inform you and obtain
permission from parents to pursue any kind of professional intervention.

All children are included in all parts of the school curriculum and
we aim for all children to be included on school trips. We will provide
the necessary support to ensure that this is successful.

A risk assessment is carried out prior to any off site activity
to ensure everyone’s health and safety will not be compromised. In the
unlikely event that it is considered unsafe for a child to take part in
an activity, then alternative activities which cover the same curriculum
areas will be provided in school.

The Victory Primary School is situated on one floor and can be
accessed by wheelchair. We also have a disabled toilet and shower. Any
other resources needed for access may be assessed by OT (Occupational
Therapy) and Physiotherapy in order for us to ensure ease of access and
safety for all.

See schools accessibility policy which is reviewed annually.

The school is able to liaise with EMAS (Ethnic Minority
Achievement Service) who can at times assist us in supporting our
families with English as an additional language

We encourage all new children to visit the school prior to
starting when they will be shown around the school and any concerns can
be addressed. For children with SEND we would encourage further visits
to assist with the acclimatisation of the new surroundings.

We may need to write a social stories to ease the transition for pupils with high anxiety and communication difficulties.

School or parents may also feel the need to arrange several
transition meetings / sessions between the schools in order to alleviate
pupil concerns

We liaise closely with staff when receiving and transferring
children to different schools ensuring all relevant paperwork is passed
on and all needs are discussed and understood. If your child has complex
needs then an Education Health Care Plan review may be used as a
transition meeting during which we will invite staff from both schools
to attend.

Many of our ‘feeder’ secondary schools run a programme specifically tailored to aid transition for our more vulnerable pupils.

We ensure that all children who have Special Educational needs are met
to the best of the school’s ability with the funds available. We will
often allocate teaching assistants who are funded by the SEN budget to
deliver programmes designed to meet groups of children’s needs. The
budget is allocated on a needs basis.

The class teacher alongside the SENCO will discuss the child’s needs and
what support would be appropriate. Different children will require
different levels of support in order to bridge the gap to achieve age
expected levels. This will be through on-going discussions with parents.

As a school we have a very positive approach to all types of behaviour with a clear reward system that is followed by all staff and pupils. Behaviour incidents are dealt with according to the behaviour policy. If a child has behavioural difficulties an IBP (Individual Behaviour Plan) is written which visually represents the triggers, how the child may react and strategies to use to de-escalate. In some cases the school will engage support and outreach services in order to best meet the needs of the children.

Attendance of every child is monitored on a daily basis . Lateness and absence are recorded. Good attendance is actively encouraged throughout the school and rewarded on a termly basis as is improving attendance. Parents are contacted regarding attendance and or lateness if necessary. Families who struggle with attendance and lateness will be asked to meet with the Head Teacher a plan a way to improve attendance and lateness.

In this instance you can contact the school admin office to arrange a
meeting with either the Headteacher or our SENCO to discuss how the
school could meet your child’s needs. Following this you would contact
the Admissions Team at Portsmouth City Council.